KR102281296B1 - Aerosol generating device and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The aerosol-generating device receives a heater for heating the aerosol-generating substrate, at least one sensor for sensing a user's tap input, and a sensed value indicative of the tap input from the sensor, and receives a tap input when the received sensed value is greater than a variable threshold value. It may include a control unit that counts the number of times and determines whether to operate the heater based on the count result. The controller according to the present embodiment may adjust the variable threshold value based on the counted number of tap inputs.

Description

Aerosol generating device and method of operation thereof {AEROSOL GENERATING DEVICE AND OPERATION METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating device and an operating method of the aerosol-generating device, and more particularly, to an aerosol-generating device and an operating method of the aerosol-generating device, which can increase user convenience by adjusting the sensitivity of an acceleration sensor for user input it's about

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for an alternative method that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for a method of generating an aerosol as the aerosol generating material in the cigarette or liquid reservoir is heated rather than a method of generating an aerosol by burning a cigarette.

On the other hand, the aerosol generating device may be designed to heat the heater when a plurality of tap inputs are received to prevent malfunction. A problem arises that the aerosol generating device does not accurately receive user input.

In other words, if the sensitivity of the sensor for receiving the user input is kept constant, the aerosol generating device may not recognize some or all of the user's continuous taps even though the user inputs the continuous tap, so that the heater cannot be heated. there is.

US 10-2018-0085370 A (2018.07.26)

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an aerosol generating device capable of more accurately receiving a user input by adjusting the sensitivity of an acceleration sensor, and an operating method thereof.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following examples.

An aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above technical problem is a heater for heating an aerosol generating substrate, at least one sensor for detecting a user's tap input, and a sensing value indicating the tap input from the sensor and a controller configured to receive, count the number of tap inputs when the received sensing value is greater than a variable threshold, and determine whether to operate the heater based on the count result, wherein the controller includes the counted tap input count Based on , the variable threshold may be adjusted.

Also, the controller may decrease the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the counted number of tap inputs.

Also, in a state in which the variable threshold value is set as a first threshold value, the controller sets the variable threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value when the counted number of tap inputs reaches a reference number of inputs can be reduced to

In addition, the reference input number may be two times.

Also, when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time in a state where the first sensed value is received, the controller may count the number of tap inputs.

In addition, the control unit may further include a counter for counting the sensed value.

Also, the controller may initialize the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted.

In addition, the sensor may be an acceleration sensor that detects a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device.

In addition, the aerosol generating device may further include a battery for supplying power to the heater, and when the number of tap inputs reaches a preset number of inputs, the controller may control the battery to supply power to the heater.

The method of operating an aerosol generating device according to another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above technical problem includes the steps of detecting a user's tap input, receiving a sensed value indicating the tap input, and the received sensed value is variable The method may include counting the number of tap inputs when it is greater than the threshold value and adjusting the variable threshold value based on the counted number of tap inputs.

Also, the adjusting of the threshold value may include decreasing the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the counted number of tap inputs.

In addition, the adjusting of the threshold may include setting the variable threshold to be greater than the first threshold when the counted number of tap inputs reaches a reference number of inputs while the variable threshold is set as the first threshold. It may be reduced to a small second threshold value. Also, the counting of the number of tap inputs may include counting the number of tap inputs when a second sensed value is received within a preset input time in a state where the first sensed value is received.

In addition, the operating method of the aerosol generating device The operating method may further include the step of initializing the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted.

In addition, the method of operating the aerosol generating device may further include supplying power to the heater when the number of tap inputs reaches a preset number of inputs.

The aerosol generating device and the operating method of the present invention can recognize the user input more accurately because the sensitivity of the sensor is adjusted in response to the number of tap inputs of the user.

In addition, the aerosol generating device and its operating method have the advantage that user convenience is increased as a user input is more accurately recognized.

The effect of the invention is not limited by the contents exemplified above, and more various effects are included in the present specification.

1 to 3 are views illustrating examples in which cigarettes are inserted into an aerosol generating device.
4 and 5 are views showing examples of cigarettes.
6 is an internal block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a threshold value of a sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view for explaining a method of adjusting a threshold value of a sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Terms used in the embodiments are selected as currently widely used general terms as possible while considering functions in the present invention, but may vary depending on intentions or precedents of those of ordinary skill in the art, emergence of new technologies, and the like. In addition, in a specific case, there is a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, the term used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention, rather than the name of a simple term.

When a part "includes" a certain element throughout the specification, this means that other elements may be further included, rather than excluding other elements, unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as “…unit” and “…module” described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

1 to 3 are views illustrating examples in which cigarettes are inserted into an aerosol generating device.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the aerosol generating device 1 includes a battery 11 , a control unit 12 , and a heater 13 . 2 and 3 , the aerosol generating device 1 further comprises a vaporizer 14 . In addition, a cigarette 2 may be inserted into the inner space of the aerosol generating device 1 .

The aerosol generating device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 shows the components related to the present embodiment. Therefore, it can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to this embodiment that other general-purpose components other than those shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 may be further included in the aerosol generating device 1 . .

In addition, although it is illustrated that the heater 13 is included in the aerosol generating device 1 in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the heater 13 may be omitted if necessary.

1 illustrates that the battery 11, the control unit 12, and the heater 13 are arranged in a line. In addition, in FIG. 2 , the battery 11 , the control unit 12 , the vaporizer 14 , and the heater 13 are illustrated as being arranged in a line. Also, FIG. 3 shows that the vaporizer 14 and the heater 13 are arranged in parallel. However, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 1 is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 . In other words, depending on the design of the aerosol generating device 1 , the arrangement of the battery 11 , the control unit 12 , the heater 13 and the vaporizer 14 may be changed.

When the cigarette 2 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 1 , the aerosol-generating device 1 can actuate the heater 13 and/or the vaporizer 14 to generate an aerosol. The aerosol generated by the heater 13 and/or vaporizer 14 passes through the cigarette 2 and is delivered to the user.

If desired, the aerosol-generating device 1 can heat the heater 13 even when the cigarette 2 is not inserted into the aerosol-generating device 1 .

The battery 11 supplies the power used to operate the aerosol generating device 1 . For example, the battery 11 may supply electric power so that the heater 13 or vaporizer 14 can be heated, and may supply electric power necessary for the control unit 12 to operate. In addition, the battery 11 may supply power required to operate a display, a sensor, a motor, etc. installed in the aerosol generating device 1 .

The control unit 12 controls the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 1 . Specifically, the control unit 12 controls the operation of the battery 11 , the heater 13 and the vaporizer 14 , as well as other components included in the aerosol generating device 1 . In addition, the controller 12 may determine whether the aerosol generating device 1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each of the components of the aerosol generating device 1 .

The control unit 12 includes at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. In addition, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment may be implemented in other types of hardware.

The heater 13 may be heated by electric power supplied from the battery 11 . For example, if a cigarette is inserted into the aerosol generating device 1 , the heater 13 may be located outside the cigarette. Thus, the heated heater 13 may raise the temperature of the aerosol generating material in the cigarette.

The heater 13 may be an electrically resistive heater. For example, the heater 13 may include an electrically conductive track, and the heater 13 may be heated as current flows through the electrically conductive track. However, the heater 13 is not limited to the above-described example, and may be applied without limitation as long as it can be heated to a desired temperature. Here, the desired temperature may be preset in the aerosol generating device 1 or may be set to a desired temperature by the user.

Meanwhile, as another example, the heater 13 may be an induction heating type heater. Specifically, the heater 13 may include an electrically conductive coil for heating the cigarette in an induction heating manner, and the cigarette may include a susceptor capable of being heated by the induction heating heater.

For example, the heater 13 may include a tubular heating element, a plate-shaped heating element, a needle-shaped heating element, or a rod-shaped heating element, which can be heated inside or outside the cigarette 2 depending on the shape of the heating element. can be heated.

In addition, a plurality of heaters 13 may be disposed in the aerosol generating device 1 . In this case, the plurality of heaters 13 may be disposed to be inserted into the cigarette 2 , or may be disposed outside the cigarette 2 . In addition, some of the plurality of heaters 13 may be disposed to be inserted into the cigarette 2 , and the rest may be disposed outside the cigarette 2 . In addition, the shape of the heater 13 is not limited to the shape shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , and may be manufactured in various shapes.

Vaporizer 14 may heat the liquid composition to generate an aerosol, which may be delivered to a user through cigarette 2 . In other words, the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 14 may travel along an airflow passage of the aerosol generating device 1 , wherein the aerosol generated by the vaporizer 14 passes through the cigarette to the user. It can be configured to be

For example, the vaporizer 14 may include, but is not limited to, a liquid reservoir, a liquid delivery means, and a heating element. For example, the liquid reservoir, the liquid delivery means and the heating element may be included in the aerosol generating device 1 as independent modules.

The liquid storage unit may store the liquid composition. For example, the liquid composition may be a liquid comprising a tobacco-containing material comprising a volatile tobacco flavor component, or may be a liquid comprising a non-tobacco material. The liquid storage unit may be manufactured to be detachably/attached from the vaporizer 14 , or may be manufactured integrally with the vaporizer 14 .

For example, the liquid composition may include water, a solvent, ethanol, a plant extract, a fragrance, a flavoring agent, or a vitamin mixture. The fragrance may include, but is not limited to, menthol, peppermint, spearmint oil, various fruit flavoring ingredients, and the like. Flavoring agents may include ingredients that can provide a user with a variety of flavors or flavors. The vitamin mixture may be a mixture of at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E, but is not limited thereto. Liquid compositions may also include aerosol formers such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

The liquid delivery means may deliver the liquid composition of the liquid reservoir to the heating element. For example, the liquid delivery means may be, but is not limited to, a wick such as cotton fiber, ceramic fiber, glass fiber, or porous ceramic.

The heating element is an element for heating the liquid composition delivered by the liquid delivery means. For example, the heating element may be, but is not limited to, a metal heating wire, a metal heating plate, a ceramic heater, and the like. In addition, the heating element may be composed of a conductive filament, such as a nichrome wire, and may be arranged in a structure wound around the liquid delivery means. The heating element may be heated by applying an electrical current, and may transfer heat to the liquid composition in contact with the heating element, thereby heating the liquid composition. As a result, an aerosol may be generated.

For example, the vaporizer 14 may be referred to as a cartomizer or an atomizer, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the aerosol generating device 1 may further include general-purpose components in addition to the battery 11 , the control unit 12 , the heater 13 and the vaporizer 14 . For example, the aerosol generating device 1 may include a display capable of outputting visual information and/or a motor for outputting tactile information. In addition, the aerosol generating device 1 may include at least one sensor (a puff detection sensor, a temperature sensor, a cigarette insertion detection sensor, etc.). In addition, the aerosol generating device 1 may be manufactured in a structure in which external air may be introduced or internal gas may flow out even in a state in which the cigarette 2 is inserted.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the aerosol generating device 1 may constitute a system together with a separate cradle. For example, the cradle may be used for charging the battery 11 of the aerosol generating device 1 . Alternatively, the heater 13 may be heated in a state in which the cradle and the aerosol generating device 1 are coupled.

The cigarette 2 may be similar to a conventional burning cigarette. For example, the cigarette 2 may be divided into a first part comprising an aerosol generating material and a second part comprising a filter or the like. Alternatively, the second part of the cigarette 2 may also contain an aerosol generating material. For example, an aerosol-generating material made in the form of granules or capsules may be inserted into the second part.

The entire first part may be inserted into the aerosol generating device 1 , and the second part may be exposed to the outside. Alternatively, only a part of the first part may be inserted into the aerosol generating device 1 , and the whole of the first part and a part of the second part may be inserted. The user may inhale the aerosol with the second part in the mouth. At this time, the aerosol is generated by passing the outside air through the first part, and the generated aerosol passes through the second part and is delivered to the user's mouth.

As an example, external air may be introduced through at least one air passage formed in the aerosol generating device 1 . For example, the opening and closing of the air passage and/or the size of the air passage formed in the aerosol generating device 1 may be adjusted by the user. Accordingly, the amount of atomization, the feeling of smoking, and the like can be adjusted by the user. As another example, the outside air may be introduced into the interior of the cigarette 2 through at least one hole formed in the surface of the cigarette (2).

Hereinafter, examples of the cigarette 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

4 and 5 are views showing examples of cigarettes.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the cigarette 2 includes a tobacco rod 21 and a filter rod 22 . The first part 21 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a tobacco rod 21 , and the second part 22 includes a filter rod 22 .

4, the filter rod 22 is shown as a single segment, but is not limited thereto. In other words, the filter rod 22 may be composed of a plurality of segments. For example, the filter rod 22 may include a segment that cools the aerosol and a segment that filters certain components contained within the aerosol. In addition, if necessary, the filter rod 22 may further include at least one segment that performs other functions.

The cigarette 2 may be wrapped by at least one wrapper 24 . At least one hole through which external air is introduced or internal gas flows may be formed in the wrapper 24 . As an example, the cigarette 2 may be wrapped by one wrapper 24 . As another example, the cigarette 2 may be wrapped by two or more wrappers 24 overlappingly. For example, the tobacco rod 21 may be packaged by the first wrapper 241 , and the filter rod 22 may be packaged by the wrappers 242 , 243 , and 244 . In addition, the entire cigarette 2 may be repackaged by a single wrapper 245 . If the filter rod 22 is composed of a plurality of segments, each segment may be wrapped by wrappers 242 , 243 , 244 .

The tobacco rod 21 comprises an aerosol generating material. For example, the aerosol generating material may include, but is not limited to, at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleyl alcohol. In addition, the tobacco rod 21 may contain other additive substances such as flavoring agents, wetting agents and/or organic acids. In addition, a flavoring liquid such as menthol or a moisturizing agent can be added to the tobacco rod 21 by being sprayed onto the tobacco rod 21 .

Tobacco rod 21 may be manufactured in various ways. For example, the tobacco rod 21 may be manufactured as a sheet or as a strand. In addition, the tobacco rod 21 may be made of cut filler from which the tobacco sheet is chopped. In addition, the tobacco rod 21 may be surrounded by a heat-conducting material. For example, the heat-conducting material may be, but is not limited to, a metal foil such as aluminum foil. For example, the heat-conducting material surrounding the tobacco rod 21 may improve the thermal conductivity applied to the tobacco rod by evenly distributing the heat transferred to the tobacco rod 21, thereby improving the tobacco taste. . In addition, the heat-conducting material surrounding the tobacco rod 21 may function as a susceptor heated by an induction heater. At this time, although not shown in the drawings, the tobacco rod 21 may further include an additional susceptor in addition to the heat-conducting material surrounding the outside.

The filter rod 22 may be a cellulose acetate filter. On the other hand, the shape of the filter rod 22 is not limited. For example, the filter rod 22 may be a cylindrical rod, or a tubular rod including a hollow therein. Also, the filter rod 22 may be a recess type rod. If the filter rod 22 is composed of a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be manufactured in a different shape.

In addition, the filter rod 22 may include at least one capsule 23 . Here, the capsule 23 may perform a function of generating flavor or may perform a function of generating an aerosol. For example, the capsule 23 may have a structure in which a liquid containing a fragrance is wrapped with a film. The capsule 23 may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the cigarette 3 may further include a shear plug 33 . The front plug 33 may be located on one side of the tobacco rod 31 opposite to the filter rod 32 . The shear plug 33 can prevent the tobacco rod 31 from escaping to the outside, and the liquefied aerosol from the tobacco rod 31 flows into the aerosol generating device ( 1 in FIGS. 1 to 3 ) during smoking. can be prevented

The filter rod 32 may include a first segment 321 and a second segment 322 . Here, the first segment 321 may correspond to the first segment of the filter rod 22 of FIG. 4 , and the second segment 322 may correspond to the third segment of the filter rod 22 of FIG. 4 . can

The diameter and overall length of the cigarette 3 may correspond to the diameter and the overall length of the cigarette 2 of FIG. 4 . For example, the length of the shear plug 33 is about 7 mm, the length of the tobacco rod 31 is about 15 mm, the length of the first segment 321 is about 12 mm, the length of the second segment 322 is about 14 mm. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The cigarette 3 may be wrapped by at least one wrapper 35 . At least one hole through which external air flows or internal gas flows may be formed in the wrapper 35 . For example, the shear plug 33 is wrapped by the first wrapper 351 , the tobacco rod 31 is wrapped by the second wrapper 352 , and the first segment ( 353 ) is wrapped by the third wrapper 353 . 321 may be wrapped, and the second segment 322 may be wrapped by a fourth wrapper 354 . In addition, the entire cigarette 3 may be repackaged by the fifth wrapper 355 .

In addition, at least one perforation 36 may be formed in the fifth wrapper 355 . For example, the perforations 36 may be formed in the area surrounding the tobacco rod 31, but are not limited thereto. The perforation 36 may serve to transfer the heat formed by the heater 13 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to the inside of the tobacco rod 31 .

Also, the second segment 322 may include at least one capsule 34 . Here, the capsule 34 may perform a function of generating flavor or may perform a function of generating an aerosol. For example, the capsule 34 may have a structure in which a liquid containing a fragrance is wrapped with a film. The capsule 34 may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto.

6 is an internal block diagram of an aerosol generating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the aerosol generating device 600 according to the present invention may include a sensor 610 , a battery 620 , a heater 630 , a memory 640 , and a control unit 650 . The battery 620 , the heater 630 , and the controller 650 of FIG. 6 may correspond to the battery 11 , the heater 13 , and the controller 12 of FIGS. 1 to 3 , respectively.

On the other hand, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 600 of the present invention is not limited to that shown in FIG. It can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment that some of the hardware components shown in FIG. 6 may be omitted or new components may be further added as needed.

The controller 650 may collectively control the sensor 610 , the battery 620 , the heater 630 , and the memory 640 included in the aerosol generating device 600 .

The sensor 610 may detect the movement of the aerosol generating device 600 . The sensor 610 may detect the movement of the aerosol generating device 600 , and may transmit a sensed value corresponding to the movement of the aerosol generating device 600 to the controller 650 .

The sensor 610 may be at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a pressure sensor, and a vibration sensor.

When the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the acceleration sensor may detect an acceleration change according to the movement of the aerosol generating device 600 . The movement of the aerosol generating device 600 may be generated by a user's tap input. The acceleration sensor may detect a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 in response to a user's tap input, and output a sensed value corresponding to the change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 to the controller 650 . For example, the acceleration sensor may output a voltage of 7 mV in response to a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 . The output voltage of 7 mV may be input to the controller 650 as a sensing value.

The acceleration sensor may output a voltage proportional to the change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 .

The controller 650 may receive a sensing value indicating a tap input from the sensor 610 . The controller 650 may calculate a sensing value greater than the variable threshold value as a user's tap input.

The variable threshold value may mean a minimum sensing value capable of recognizing a user's tap input.

When the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the variable threshold may be related to the sensitivity of the acceleration sensor. Alternatively, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the variable threshold may mean the maximum amplitude measurement capability (dynamic range) of the acceleration sensor. For example, a high sensitivity of the acceleration sensor may mean a small minimum sensing value for a user's tap input.

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs. To this end, the controller 650 may include a counter 651 .

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time while the first sensed value is received. Also, when the second sensed value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the first sensed value is received, the controller 650 may initialize the number of tap input. In this case, the preset input time may be appropriately set in consideration of the user's continuous tap input time. For example, the preset input time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The controller 650 may adjust the variable threshold value based on the counted number of tap inputs.

Specifically, the controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value in proportion to the counted number of tap inputs.

Alternatively, the controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value when the counted tap input number reaches the reference input number while maintaining the variable threshold value as the first threshold value. can The reference input number may be set to be smaller than the operation input number to be described later. As will be described later, since the number of operation input is set to 3 to prevent heating of the heater 630 due to a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 , the reference input number may be set to two. Accordingly, the reduction of the variable threshold value may be performed from three taps or more.

When the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold is adjusted, the controller 650 may initialize the variable threshold. In this case, the preset input time may be appropriately set in consideration of the user's continuous tap input time. For example, the preset time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The reason for initializing the variable threshold is that when the variable threshold is maintained in a reduced state even when there is no user's tap input, a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 may occur.

The battery 620 supplies power to the heater 630 , and the amount of power supplied to the heater 630 may be adjusted by the controller 650 .

The heater 630 generates heat by specific resistance when a current is applied, and when the aerosol generating substrate is in contact (combined) with the heated heater 630, an aerosol can be generated.

The controller 650 may control the power supplied to the heater 630 by transmitting a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to the heater 630 .

The controller 650 may determine whether to operate the heater 630 based on the number of tap inputs of the user.

The controller 650 may supply power to the heater 630 by controlling the battery 620 when the number of taps input by the user is equal to or greater than the preset number of inputs. In this case, the input may mean a user input for heating (operating) the heater 630 . Accordingly, the preset number of input may be referred to as the number of operation input. The number of operation input may be set to 3 times. The reason for setting the number of operation input to three is to prevent heating of the heater 630 due to a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 . For example, when the aerosol generating device 600 falls and collides with the ground, it is common for the sensor 610 to output a sensing value equal to or greater than a variable threshold twice. In this case, the controller 650 may determine that the user's continuous tap input has been received and control the battery 620 to heat the heater 630 . Accordingly, the heater 630 may be heated regardless of the user's intention. Accordingly, in order to prevent the heater 630 from being heated regardless of the user's intention, the number of operation input may be set to three.

As the controller 650 receives a user input for heating the heater 630 from the sensor 610 , the physical button of the aerosol generating device 600 may be removed.

The memory 640 may store information for the operation of the aerosol generating device 600 .

The memory 640 may store information such as a reference input number, an operation input number, an input time, a variable threshold value, a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and a tap input number.

The sensor 610, the battery 620, the heater 630, the memory 640, and the controller 650 according to an embodiment of the present invention correspond to at least one or more processors, or include at least one or more processors. can do. Accordingly, the sensor 610 , the battery 620 , the heater 630 , the memory 640 , and the controller 650 may be driven in a form included in another hardware device such as a microprocessor or a general-purpose computer system.

7 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a threshold value of a sensor.

Referring to the drawings, the aerosol generating device 600 may receive a user input for heating the heater 630 . The aerosol generating device 600 may receive a user's continuous tap input to heat the heater 630 .

The sensor 610 may receive a tap input greater than or equal to a threshold value as a user input for heating the heater 630 .

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs. The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time while the first sensed value is received. Also, when the second sensed value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the first sensed value is received, the controller 650 may initialize the number of tap input. For example, the preset input time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the controller 650 may set the number of consecutive tap inputs for heating the heater 630 to 3 or more. This is to prevent heating of the heater 630 due to a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 . For example, when the aerosol generating device 600 falls and collides with the ground, it is common for the sensor 610 to output a sensing value equal to or greater than a variable threshold twice. In this case, the controller 650 may control the battery 620 to heat the heater 630 by determining that the user's continuous tap input is received. Accordingly, the heater 630 may be heated regardless of the user's intention. Accordingly, in order to prevent the heater 630 from being heated regardless of the user's intention, the number of operation input may be set to three or more.

Meanwhile, as the number of tap inputs required to heat the heater 630 increases, user inconvenience may increase. Accordingly, the controller 650 may set the number of operation input to three, which is the lower limit of the settable range (three or more) of the number of tap input.

As described above, three tap inputs are required to heat the heater 630 , but a decrease in force may occur during continuous tap input.

A first graph 710 illustrated in FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a decrease in a user's touch strength according to a continuous tap input.

As shown in FIG. 7 , it can be seen that the user's touch force is maintained up to 2 times, but rapidly decreases from the 3rd time. This is because a decrease in force due to finger stress occurs according to a continuous tap input. When the threshold value is maintained as the first threshold value th1 without reflecting the decrease in force, the controller 650 cannot count the three tap inputs because it is less than or equal to the first threshold value th1. Accordingly, even though the user inputs the tap input three times, the heater 630 is not heated, causing user inconvenience, such as having to re-enter the heater 630 . The present invention may adjust the threshold value in response to the number of tap inputs in order to reduce such user inconvenience.

The controller 650 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may decrease the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the counted number of tap inputs as shown in Equation (1).

The second graph 720 of FIG. 7 illustrates that the variable threshold value decreases as the number of tap inputs increases.

In FIG. 7 , the decreasing slope Δg of the variable threshold value may be appropriately set in consideration of the average user's touch force of the aerosol generating device 600 . For example, in the acceleration sensor, the decreasing slope Δg may be set to -0.7 mV/number of times. In this case, the variable threshold value may be gradually decreased to 7.2mV, 6.3mV, 5.6mV, and 4.9mV in inverse proportion to the number of tap inputs of the user. However, the initial setting values of the decreasing slope and the variable threshold of the present invention are not limited to the above-described examples.

On the other hand, when the variable threshold is excessively reduced, the malfunction rate of the aerosol generating device 600 may rather increase. For example, when the variable threshold value is set to less than 4.9 mV in the acceleration sensor, the acceleration sensor responds sensitively to the movement of the aerosol generating device 600 to reduce external noise rather than the user's tap input. tap) can be recognized as input. In other words, when the variable threshold is excessively low, the aerosol generating device 600 may operate even without a user's tap input. Accordingly, the control unit 650 decreases the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the number of tap inputs of the user only from the first threshold value th1 to the second threshold value th2, and thereafter, even if the number of tap inputs increases, the variable threshold value is set. The second threshold value th2 may be maintained.

The second graph 720 of FIG. 7 shows that the variable threshold is decreased in inverse proportion to the number of tap inputs from the first threshold value th1 to the second threshold value th2 smaller than the first threshold value th1. exemplify For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the first threshold value th1 may be 7 mV and the second threshold value th2 may be 4.9 mV, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, the meaning of reducing the variable threshold value may be the same as the meaning of increasing the sensitivity of the sensor 610 as shown in Equation (2).

Accordingly, the controller 650 may increase the variable sensitivity of the sensor 610 from the first sensitivity to the second sensitivity in proportion to the number of tap inputs. For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the first sensitivity may be 1.6 and the second sensitivity may be 2.4, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 7 , as the controller 650 decreases the variable threshold of the sensor 610 in proportion to the number of tap inputs, three tap inputs exceed the variable threshold. Accordingly, the aerosol generating device 600 of the present invention can more accurately recognize the user's tap input. Accordingly, there is an effect that user inconvenience is reduced.

8 is a view for explaining a method of adjusting a threshold value of a sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the aerosol generating device 600 may receive a user input for heating the heater 630 . The aerosol generating device 600 may receive a user's continuous tap input to heat the heater 630 .

The sensor 610 may receive a tap input greater than or equal to a threshold value as a user input for heating the heater 630 .

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs. The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time while the first sensed value is received. Also, when the second sensed value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the first sensed value is received, the controller 650 may initialize the number of tap input. For example, the preset input time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the control unit 650 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may also set the number of operation input to three in order to prevent a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 . In addition, three tap inputs are required to heat the heater 630 , but when a continuous tap is input, a decrease in force may occur as shown in the first graph 710 . Accordingly, user inconvenience may occur.

The controller 650 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may initially set the variable threshold value as the first threshold value th1. When the counted number of tap inputs reaches the reference number of inputs while maintaining the variable threshold value as the first threshold value th1, the controller 650 sets the variable threshold value to a second value smaller than the first threshold value th1. It can be reduced to the threshold value th2. For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the first threshold value th1 may be 7 mV and the second threshold value th2 may be 4.9 mV, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the reference input number may be set to be smaller than the operation input number. Since the number of operation input is set to three, the controller 650 may set the reference input number to two.

As described in FIG. 7 , since the meaning of decreasing the variable threshold value is the same as the meaning of increasing the sensitivity of the sensor 610 , the controller 650 maintains the variable sensitivity as the first sensitivity, and the counted tap input When the number reaches the reference input number, the variable sensitivity may be increased to a second sensitivity greater than the first sensitivity. For example, when the first threshold value th1 of the acceleration sensor is 7.2 mV and the second threshold value th2 is 4.9 mV, the first sensitivity may be 1.6 and the second sensitivity may be 2.4, but the present invention is limited thereto. doesn't happen

In FIG. 8 , as the controller 650 decreases the variable threshold value to the second threshold value th2 after receiving a double tap input while maintaining the variable threshold value as the first threshold value th1, Three tap inputs will exceed the variable threshold. Accordingly, the aerosol generating device 600 of the present invention can more accurately recognize the user's tap input. Accordingly, there is an effect that user inconvenience is reduced.

On the other hand, since the aerosol generating device 600 according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not continuously change the variable threshold value over time, it is easy to implement and the control convenience is increased.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the sensor 610 may detect a user's tap input (S910).

When the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the acceleration sensor may detect a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 in response to a user's tap input, and output a voltage proportional to the change in acceleration. The acceleration sensor may output a sensed value to the controller 650 in response to a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device 600 .

The controller 650 may receive a sensing value indicating a tap input from the sensor 610 (S920).

When the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the controller 650 may receive a predetermined voltage as a sensed value, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The controller 650 may calculate whether the sensing value received from the sensor 610 is equal to or greater than a preset variable threshold value (S930). The variable threshold value may mean a minimum sensing value capable of recognizing a user's tap input.

When the sensed value is smaller than the preset variable threshold, the controller 650 may continue to receive the sensed value. When the sensed value is equal to or greater than a preset variable threshold, the controller 650 may calculate the sensed value as a user's tap input.

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs (S940). To this end, the controller 650 may include a counter 651 .

The controller 650 may count the number of tap inputs when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time while the first sensed value is received. Also, when the second sensed value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the first sensed value is received, the controller 650 may initialize the number of tap input. In this case, the preset input time may be appropriately set in consideration of the user's continuous tap input time. For example, the preset input time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value in proportion to the counted number of tap inputs ( S950 ).

Specifically, the controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value from the first threshold value th1 to a second threshold value th2 smaller than the first threshold value th1 in proportion to the number of tap inputs. For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the decreasing slope Δg may be -0.7 mV, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the meaning of decreasing the variable threshold value may be the same as the meaning of increasing the sensitivity of the sensor 610 as shown in Equation (2).

Accordingly, the controller 650 may increase the variable sensitivity of the sensor 610 from the first sensitivity to the second sensitivity in proportion to the number of tap inputs. For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the first sensitivity may be 1.6 and the second sensitivity may be 2.4, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the controller 650 may initialize the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted. In this case, the preset input time may be appropriately set in consideration of the user's continuous tap input time. For example, the preset time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The reason for initializing the variable threshold is that when the variable threshold is maintained in a reduced state even when there is no user's tap input, a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 may occur.

The controller 650 may calculate whether the number of tap input is equal to or greater than a preset number of operation input (S960). The operation input number is the number of tap inputs required to heat the heater 630 and may be stored in the memory 640 .

The controller 650 may set the number of consecutive tap inputs for heating the heater 630 to three or more. This is to prevent heating of the heater 630 due to a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 .

For example, when the aerosol generating device 600 falls and collides with the ground, it is common for the sensor 610 to output a sensing value equal to or greater than a variable threshold twice. In this case, the controller 650 may determine that the user's continuous tap input has been received and control the battery 620 to heat the heater 630 . Accordingly, the heater 630 may be heated regardless of the user's intention. Accordingly, in order to prevent the heater 630 from being heated regardless of the user's intention, the number of operation input may be set to three or more.

Meanwhile, as the number of tap inputs required to heat the heater 630 increases, user inconvenience may increase. Accordingly, the controller 650 may set the number of operation input to three, which is the lower limit of the settable range (three or more) of the number of tap input.

When the number of tap inputs is less than the number of motion inputs, the controller 650 may continuously detect a user tap input.

When the number of tap inputs is equal to or greater than the number of operation inputs, the controller 650 may control the battery 620 to supply power to the heater 630 . The heater 630 may be heated based on the power supplied from the battery 620 (S970).

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an aerosol generating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The difference from FIG. 9 is a method of adjusting the variable threshold value. Since S1010, S1020, S1030, and S1040 of FIG. 10 are the same as S910, S920, S930, and S940 of FIG. 9, respectively, the steps after S1050 will be described below.

Referring to the drawing, the controller 650 may calculate whether the number of tap inputs is equal to or greater than the reference number of inputs ( S1050 ).

When the number of tap inputs is less than the reference number of inputs, the controller 650 may maintain the initial variable threshold value (S1060). The controller 650 may maintain the first threshold value when the number of tap inputs is less than the reference number of inputs.

When the number of tap inputs is equal to or greater than the reference number of inputs, the controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value (S1070).

When the number of tap inputs reaches the reference number of inputs, the controller 650 may decrease the variable threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value. For example, when the sensor 610 is an acceleration sensor, the first threshold value th1 may be 7 mV and the second threshold value th2 may be 4.9 mV, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, since the meaning of decreasing the variable threshold value is the same as the meaning of increasing the sensitivity of the sensor 610 , the controller 650 maintains the variable sensitivity as the first sensitivity, and the counted number of tap inputs is the reference input. When the number of times is reached, the variable sensitivity may be increased to a second sensitivity greater than the first sensitivity.

Since the aerosol generating device 600 according to the second embodiment of the present invention does not continuously change the variable threshold value over time, it is easy to implement and the control convenience is increased.

The reference input number may be set to be smaller than the operation input number. Since the number of operation input is set to three, the controller 650 may set the reference input number to two.

Meanwhile, the controller 650 may initialize the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted. In this case, the preset input time may be appropriately set in consideration of the user's continuous tap input time. For example, the preset time may be 0.2 seconds, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The reason for initializing the variable threshold is that when the variable threshold is maintained in a reduced state even when there is no user's tap input, a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 may occur.

The controller 650 may calculate whether the number of tap input is equal to or greater than a preset number of operation input (S1080). The operation input number is the number of tap inputs required to heat the heater 630 and may be stored in the memory 640 .

The controller 650 may set the number of consecutive tap inputs for heating the heater 630 to three or more. This is to prevent heating of the heater 630 due to a malfunction of the aerosol generating device 600 .

For example, when the aerosol generating device 600 falls and collides with the ground, it is common for the sensor 610 to output a sensing value equal to or greater than a variable threshold twice. In this case, the controller 650 may determine that the user's continuous tap input has been received and control the battery 620 to heat the heater 630 . Accordingly, the heater 630 may be heated regardless of the user's intention. Accordingly, in order to prevent the heater 630 from being heated regardless of the user's intention, the number of operation input may be set to three or more.

Meanwhile, as the number of tap inputs required to heat the heater 630 increases, user inconvenience may increase. Accordingly, the controller 650 may set the number of operation input to three, which is the lower limit of the settable range (three or more) of the number of tap input.

When the number of tap inputs is less than the number of motion inputs, the controller 650 may continuously detect a user tap input.

When the number of tap inputs is equal to or greater than the number of operation inputs, the controller 650 may control the battery 620 to supply power to the heater 630 . The heater 630 may be heated based on the power supplied from the battery 620 (S1090).

An embodiment may also be implemented in the form of a recording medium containing instructions executable by a computer, such as a program module executed by a computer. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. Also, computer-readable media may include both computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Communication media typically includes computer readable instructions, data structures, other data in modulated data signals, such as program modules, or other transport mechanisms, and includes any information delivery media.

Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiment will understand that it can be implemented in a modified form within a range that does not deviate from the essential characteristics of the above description. Therefore, the disclosed methods are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.

600: aerosol generating device
610: sensor
620: battery
630: heater
640: storage
650: control unit

Claims (15)

a heater for heating the aerosol-generating substrate;
at least one sensor sensing a user's tap input; and
A control unit that receives a sensed value indicating the tap input from the sensor, counts the number of tap inputs when the received sensed value is greater than a variable threshold, and determines whether to operate the heater based on the count result; including,
the control unit
adjusting the variable threshold value based on the counted number of tap inputs;
The aerosol generating device that decreases the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the counted number of tap inputs. delete According to claim 1,
the control unit
Decreasing the variable threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value when the counted number of tap inputs reaches a reference number of inputs while the variable threshold is set as the first threshold an aerosol generating device. 4. The method of claim 3,
The aerosol generating device that the reference input number is set to two. According to claim 1,
the control unit
When the second sensed value is received within a preset input time in a state where the first sensed value is received, the aerosol generating device counts the number of tap inputs. 6. The method of claim 5,
the control unit
Aerosol generating device further comprising a counter for counting the sensed value. According to claim 1,
the control unit
An aerosol generating device for initializing the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted. According to claim 1,
the sensor is
An aerosol generating device which is an acceleration sensor for detecting a change in acceleration of the aerosol generating device. According to claim 1,
A battery for supplying power to the heater; further comprising,
the control unit
When the number of tap inputs reaches a preset number of inputs, the aerosol generating device controls the battery to supply power to the heater. detecting a user's tap input;
receiving a sensed value indicating the tap input;
counting the number of tap inputs when the received sensing value is greater than a variable threshold; and
adjusting the variable threshold value based on the counted number of tap inputs;
The step of adjusting the threshold is
The method of operating an aerosol generating device that decreases the variable threshold value in inverse proportion to the counted number of tap inputs. delete 11. The method of claim 10,
The step of adjusting the threshold is
In a state in which the variable threshold is set as a first threshold, and when the counted number of tap inputs reaches a reference number of inputs, the variable threshold is reduced to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold. A method of operation of an aerosol-generating device. 11. The method of claim 10,
The step of counting the number of tap input is
The method of operating an aerosol generating device that counts the number of taps when the second sensed value is received within a preset input time in a state where the first sensed value is received. 11. The method of claim 10,
Initializing the variable threshold value when the sensing value is not received within a preset input time in a state in which the variable threshold value is adjusted; the method of operating an aerosol generating device further comprising a. 11. The method of claim 10,
The method of operating an aerosol generating device further comprising; supplying power to the heater when the number of tap inputs reaches a preset number of inputs.

Images